Bracelet catch



Feb. 28, 1939. H, coHAN ET AL 2,148,534

BRACELET CATC H Filed July 8, 1936 HYMAN SE/DMAN ATTORNEY Patented F eb. 28, 1939 AIAllilw'r oFFlcl;

BRACELET` CATCH Henry Cohan and Hyman Seidman, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignors toSeidman & Cohan, Inc., New

. York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application .my 8, 1988,y serial No. 89,518

Claims.

The present invention relates to fastening devices and more particularly to devices for gripping and closing `the free ends of straps, bands or the like, conventionally associated with wrist 5 watches, bracelets, etc.

rThe present invention aims to devise devices of the general character indicated, which are simple in construction, easy and economical to fabricate and assemble, and compact and attractive in ap- 1() pearance.

`In' the annexed specification there' is described, and in the drawing, constituting part of this specification, there is shown, an illustrative emboolimentofthe fastening device of the present invention. However, it is tov be clearly understood that the physical characteristics of the present 'invention are not Vlimited to the aforesaid illustrative embodiment, rthe latter being here shownk Aandl described for purposes of illustration only, it being obvious that changes in the details may be made 'without the Aexercise of invention and within the scope of the claims hereto appended.

' ln the accompanying drawing:-

VFig. lis a top plan'view of the aforesaid illusltrative embodiment of the present invention, the

device as illustrated being in a closed position; Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the same; Fig. 3 lis a longitudinal sectional view, taken substantially throughthe center of and along line 3-'3 lof Fig. l; Fig.' 4 is a longitudinal sectional view, taken substantially through the'center of one of the link members constituting part of the aforesaid illustrative embodiment of the present invention, and Ahereinafter referred to .as .the latch link, the link being shown in its open position;

Fig. 5 is a partial transverse sectional, partial top plan View, taken along line 5-5 of Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the latch link shown in Fig. 4, the same being here illustrated in its closed position.

Referringnow more in detail to the aforesaidinto two (2) portions adapted to receive the tubular members I4' of the band. The front wall I5 has extending wings I6 connected by a yoke I'I to present an opening I8, the wings I6, yoke I'I and opening I8 constituting a keeper portion I8.

Integrally formed with and bent at right angles to the front wall I5, is a pair of rearwardly directed side Walls I9, the rear ends of the side walls being bent inwardly `toward each other to present abutments 20.

The side walls I9 are further provided with openings 2I adapted to receive pintels 22 formed on a lever 23, which has at its outer end an operating. tongue 24, the lever being pivotally maintained intermediate the side walls I9. Integrally formed with the lever 23 and depending at right angles thereto, is a pair Vof ears 25 pivotally receptive Vof 4pintels 26 formed on another lever 2'I, the edges 28 of the ears 25 being adapted to cooperate with the edges of cut-out portions 29 on the lever 21 to limit the swing yof the latter away from the lever 23. The swing of the lever 21 in the other direction is limited by the coinciding of the levers 2'I and 23 to form in effect a continuous piece.

The outer end 38 of the lever 21 is bent at right angles to the body portion thereof, and is provided with teeth 3I adapted, as will hereinafter be more particularly described, to bite into and retain the end I2 of the strap within the link I0.

'The links I0 and I I are constructed exactly the same as far as the strap-gripping portion thereof is concerned; but the link II, instead of being provided with a keeper portion I8', is altered as follows:

'The wings I6 extend from the front Wall I5 to form a box 32. The latter consists of a top wall 33 having integrally formed therewith and eX- tending at right angles thereto, side walls 34, the lower ends of which are inwardly directed to form bottom wallportions 35. Struck up from the latch member 36 is van operating lug 38, this lug extending through and being movable throughout the length of an opening 39 formed in the top wall 33 of the box 32. The opening 39 is provided with a narrowed neck 4I] presenting to one side thereof 'an oversized forward portion 4I, and to the other side thereof an oversized rear portion 42. By the term oversized it is meant to designate that the portions referred to are of sufficient Width to permit the lug 38 of the latch member 36 to move freely therein, the narrowed neck 40 separating the two (2) oversized portions constituting a restriction, past which the lug 38 may be forced in either 4direction by exerting slight pressure. By such means the latch member 36, as will hereinafter be more fully understood, may be locked in either an open or closed position.

The top plate 33 and the side walls 34 of the box 32 are provided with the slot 43 adapted, as will later be more fully explained, to receive the yoke I'I of the keeper portion I8 of the link I0.

Pivotally mounted in the side walls 34 of the box 32 at the end thereof opposite to the strapengaging portion, are pintels 44 formed upon a swinging cover 45 adapted to close over the top of the box 32, thus protecting and keeping out of sight the latch member 32 and the operating lug 38 thereof. The outer end of the cover 45, which is made of resilient material, is bent downwardly, as at 45, and is adapted to snap over the rear edge of the top wall 33 so as to be retained in a closed position, the raising or'opening of the cover being effected by a detent 41 formed at the free edge thereof struck up from the bent portion 46.

This completes the description of the aforesaid illustrative embodiment of the fastening device of the present invention, and the operation and use thereof may be briefly summarized as follows:

With the strap-engaging portions of the links I and I I in the open position shown most clearly in Fig. 4 of the drawing, the ends I2 and I3 of the strap I4 are inserted beneath the abutments 28 and intermediate the side walls I9, after which the levers 23 and 2l are swung toward the front wall I until the teeth 30 come in contact with the strap portion to be engaged. The lever 21 is then pressed against the strap portion so that the teeth 3l bite into the same, and the lever is forced past the abutments 28. Then by applying pressure to the operating tongue 24 of the lever 23, the lever 2l is slid fowardly beneath the abutments 20 until the levers 23 and 2l assume a straight line position, at which time the strap will be effectively gripped within the fastening device. Both free ends of the strap I4 are engaged with the links Ii] and II in exactly the same fashion.

In connecting the links lil and I Itogether and locking the same in an engaged position, the cover 45 while in its open position, shown in Fig. 4 ofthe drawing, is passed through the opening I8 of the keeper portion I8 of the link I8, andthe yoke I1 is positioned in the slot 43 of the box 32; the latch 36 during this operation, being in its open position, shown in Figs. 4 and 5. When the yoke I'I has reached the bottom of the slot 43, the lug 38 is moved in the slot 39 so as to snap past the restricted or narrow portion 40, thereby becoming disposed in the forward oversized portion 4I. This operation moves the latch 33 so as to close the opening or slot 43, thus locking the yoke I1 within the box 32. Thereafter the cover 45 is swung downwardly so that the end 48 thereof snaps over the rear edge of the top wall 33, thus locking the same in a closed position.

In opening or disconnecting the links I 0 and I I so as to permit the bracelet or wrist watch to be removed from the wearers arm, the rst action is to open the cover 45 by engaging and pulling the detent 4l. This will expose the latch and by moving the lug 38 in the opposite direction from that in which it had previously been moved, that is, past the restricted neck 4i) and into the rear oversized portion 42, the latch 35 will be drawn away from the slot 43 and the yoke I'I may readily be removed therefrom.

If it is desired to remove the links Ill and II from the strap I4, for example to change the strap, it is merely necessary Vto engage the operating tongue 24 of the lever 23 with the finger nail and move the same upwardly. This will cause the strap-engaging end 30 of the lever 21 to move rearwardly, and continued pulling upon the tongue 24 will force the lever 2 past the abutments 20 so that the two (2) levers 23 and 2l together may be pivoted outwardly permitting the removal of the strap portions previously engaged thereby.

This completes the description of the mode of operation and use of the fastening devices of the present invention. It will be noted from the foregoing description, that the devices of the present invention are simple in construction, very easy and economical to fabricate, assemble and operate, and in addition to being effective for the intended purposes, are compact and pleasing in appearance.

Other objects and advantages of the devices of the present invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which the present invention relates.

What -we claim as our invention is:

l. A locking device comprising a box provided with a keeper-receiving opening and a latch-locking opening, the latter opening consisting of an elongated slot having a restricted portion, a latch slidable in said box to open and close the keeperreceiving opening, and a lug associated with said latch, extending through the latch-locking opening, and moveable throughout the length of the latter past the restricted portion thereof to actuate said latch and retain the same in open and closed positions.

2. A locking device comprising a box provided with a keeper-receiving opening and a latch-locking opening, the latter opening consisting of an elongated slot having two oversized portions and a restricted portion therebetween, a latch slidable in said box to open and close the keeper-receiving opening, and a lug associated with said latch, extending through the latch-locking opening, and moveable between the oversized portions of the latter past the restricted portion thereof to actuate said latch and retain the same in open and closed positions.

3'. A fastening device comprising a pair of links each of which is provided with gripping means for afxing the same to the free ends of a strap, and means integrally associated with each of said links and cooperable with each other to close the ends of the strap, said means including a keeperportion on one of said links, and a latch portion on the other of said links comprising a box provided with an opening receptive of said keeperportion and a latch-locking opening, the latter opening consisting of an elongated slot having a restricted portion, a latch slidable in said box to open and close the keeper-receiving opening, and a lug associated with said latch extending through the latch-locking opening and moveable throughout the length of the latter past the restricted portion thereof to actuate said latch and retain the same in open andrclosed positions.

4. A fastening device comprising a pair of links each of which is provided with gripping means for afxing the same to the free ends of a strap, and means integrally associated with each of said links and cooperable with each other to close the ends of the strap, said means including a keeper-portion on one of said links, and a latch portion on the other of said links comprising a box provided with an opening receptive of said keeper-portion and a latch-locking opening, the latter opening consisting of f an elongated slot having two oversized portions and a restricted portion therebetween, a latch slidable in said box to open and close the keeper-receiving opening, and a lug associated with said latch extending through the latch-locking openingand moveable between the oversized portions of the latter past the restricted portion thereof to actuate the said latch and to retain the same in open and closed positions.

5. A locking device comprising a box provided with a keeper-receiving opening and a latch-oper ating opening, a latch slidable in said box to open and close the keeper-receiving opening, and a lug associated with said latch extending through the latch-operating opening and moveable through the latter to actuate said latch, said lug being loosely maintained in either open or closedl position.

HYMAN SEDDMAN.

HENRY COHAN. 

